


What Time Has Wrought

by PlacesBetween



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Barry's timeline changes have consequences, Episode 3x03, Episode 3x04, M/M, Pining, Post Flashpoint, timeline changes are confusing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-01 04:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10180289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlacesBetween/pseuds/PlacesBetween
Summary: When Harry returns to Earth-1, he finds out Barry changed the timeline. What he doesn't realize, is just what has changed, and what it means for himself and Cisco.An alternate take on episodes 3x03 and 3x04 where Cisco and Harry have completely different memories of the nature of their relationship and now have to find some way to sort it all out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Grace; not only for the beta but for immersing yourself in The Flash enough to understand this story.

Harry wakes, draped in the first light of morning, from another restless sleep. His heart rate is steady, his breathing calm, so he knows it wasn't a nightmare that had woken him. At the very least, if it had been, his mind was kind enough to let him forget quickly. He'd long since given up on trying to get back to sleep on mornings like this, too aware of the day before him which would offer up distraction after distraction from the things he'd much rather not think about at all. 

Harry runs through his morning routine, keeping one ear out for Jesse, calmed by the silence that greets him. At least one of them is sleeping well that night, a too rare occurrence for them both these days. He wishes he could take from her every last memory of her time with Zoom, but he can't. It's just another thing on the long list of things Harry has to atone for in his life.

Settling at his desk, he zeroes in on the large pile of paperwork before him, still barely depleted despite three months of effort to work his way through it. Nonsense memos are broken up by the occasional interesting suggestion for a new invention that could add to the prestige of S.T.A.R. Labs. Each time, he has to fight not to let his mind wander over the ways Cisco Ramon could take those barely sketched out blueprints and turn them into something even the keenest scientific mind could never have quite imagined. He knows it's a waste of his mental energy. Harry isn't on their Earth anymore, and Cisco certainly isn't here; hasn't been since the day they saved Jesse. The promise he had made to vibe over and see Harry remains unfulfilled, and Harry has long since suspected that it will stay that way. 

More troublesome than the silence to Harry, is the fact that the silence bothers him at all. He can't remember a time when the presence of other people didn't set him on edge. Didn't make him want to roll his eyes, and let them know just how little he thought of them, with their fake smiles and forced conversations. By the time he hit high school, he prided himself on the ability to push away anyone who wasn't useful to him, and make them think it was their idea to do the walking. 

There was Tess, of course. One of the very few who saw how calculated each turn of phrase was, and decided for herself there might be something worth staying for. A handful of colleagues and Jesse rounded out the list of people he could tolerate and who could tolerate him in return. Somehow, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco had added themselves to that list; at least for a time. After three months of silence, he knows he should have already crossed them out and cropped them up as being nothing more than a moment; a memory he can shelve away and only pull out when he's feeling nostalgic. The fact is, he can't. Not when most nights these days are interrupted with the crystal clear memory of dark eyes and unreasonably long hair. 

Harry takes off his glasses, and rubs at his tired eyes. He has to clench his fists to keep himself from swiping the whole pile of paperwork off his desk in anger. His assistant would kill him if he asked her to organize them yet again, and really, he just isn't in the mood for another lecture about his temper from Jesse. 

Instead, he abandons his work and heads to the kitchen to make breakfast for himself and Jesse. It's become something of a tradition for them ever since their return, one that didn't exist at all before, but now Harry can't imagine doing without. He sets to the task of cracking eggs and whisking batter, Channel 52 playing softly in the background. The food is just about ready when he hears the sound of Jesse's footsteps in the hallway.

“Morning, dad.” 

Harry nods his head in greeting to Jesse, his mood lifting at the sight of her with her messy hair and rumpled pajamas. “You sleep okay?”

“Better than you, it seems.” She walks to the stove, picking up a spatula and rescuing the pancakes that are just this side of overcooked. Harry may enjoy cooking, but that doesn't mean he's any good at it. 

“I sleep enough,” Harry insists, avoiding eye contact and Jesse's horrible habit of being able to read him with a single glance.

Jesse rolls her eyes. “Sure you do.”

Harry opts not to answer, taking his place at the table and feigning far too much interest in his runny eggs and slightly burnt pancakes. Jesse's response of equally exaggerated enjoyment in her food would annoy him if it didn't stand as a reminder that this is his daughter, so much like him in so many ways. 

“We ever going to go talk about it?”

Harry sighs, his amusement fading. “Talk about what?” he asks, though he knows exactly what she means. Honestly, he's surprised and slightly perturbed she let him get away with not talking about it for this long. More proof that Jesse is off her game since Zoom came into their lives. 

“The reason you're not sleeping. Why that's one of the few smiles I've seen from you since we got back.”

“I smile,” Harry asserts. He smiles when Jesse comes home from school, babbling about one of her classes. Or when a lab assistant just does enough wrong to justify him firing them. 

Jesse shakes her head. “Not like you did over there.”

“Jesse...”

“No, dad. Listen, I'm glad you came back with me. That we get to have mornings like this. But it's not worth it if you're miserable.”

Harry drops his fork onto his plate, and clenches his teeth. “I'm not miserable. I love spending time with you, I love my work-”

“But you don't love it here! Who are you trying to convince, dad? Me or yourself?” Jesse demands, her tone brokering no compromise. 

Harry swallows, and turns his eyes to Central City rising up in the distance outside their window. The none too subtle differences between this city and the one he had spent months living in leave him feeling cold.

Jesse places her hand on top of her father's, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You found something over there. And I think it's time you got it back.”

Harry pulls his hand away, pointing it at his daughter. “Okay, first; even if going back were a realistic option, you're out of your mind if you think I'm going to leave you here alone.”

Jesse attempts to respond, but Harry barrels forward, intent to get out what he has to say. “Second; you're assuming that they want me back there, when all empirical evidence suggests that they are doing just fine without a Harrison Wells in their life.”

“Maybe there's a reason Cisco hasn't vibed here like he said he would. You ever think about that? Maybe they're in trouble.”

It's a possibility Harry has considered, but one he has no idea what to do with. Somehow, it's easier to imagine they just forgot about him than to deal with the idea that they've needed him, and he wasn't there. 

“If they are, it has nothing to do with us. Not anymore,” Harry grounds out, picking up their plates and letting them drop into the sink with a loud clatter.

“I know you don't believe that.”

“Aren't you going to be late for class?” Harry reminds her innocently. 

Jesse swears under her breath, giving her father a none too pleased look. “We'll finish this conversation later.”

“Threatening me will get you nowhere, young lady.” Harry tries to tease her, but he knows it falls flat.

“We both know that isn't true.” She kisses him on the cheek, and leaves him standing there in defeat. 

“Round one: Jesse,” Harry sighs to himself, knowing this is only the beginning. He should have learned by now, that when it comes to arguments with Jesse, he will almost always be on the losing side. It doesn't stop him from trying though; especially when it comes to subjects better left untouched.

Harry leaves the dishes, changes out old clothes for new, and heads into work, where he will be free to verbally beat down every lab assistant who comes his way. At least now, he has something to look forward to.

_____

Two flustered interns, and one crying bioengineer later, and Harry feels like he's ready to take on Jesse again. Unfortunately, every argument Harry prepared for their next confrontation crumbles into irrelevancy when Jesse speeds into his office; literally. Harry drops his coffee, flinching at the sound of his favorite mug (stolen from the other STAR Labs) breaking as it hits the edge of his desk, pieces scattering on the floor. For a moment, the only sound in the room is Jesse's heavy breathing, and the drip, drip, drip of his coffee.

“Dad,” Jesse starts, her eyes wide and hands shaking. “I think we might have been wrong about me not being affected.”

“Whatever could have given you that idea?” 

Jesse wobbles on her feet, and Harry quickly strides forward, pushing her into a chair. He can't tell if it's the shock of realization that she's a speedster, or a symptom of the speed itself causing her unsteadiness. His mind pulls up every bit of data he can recall about Barry's own emergence, but it seems much of it is lost to time, and his own haphazard approach to studying it in the first place. It hadn't seemed all that important at the time; not when Barry was revealing new information with every move, and Harry's own attention was focused almost solely on his daughter. The irony of this doesn't escape him.

“I'm a speedster,” Jesse grins, sounding drunk with joy.

Harry swallows, willing his dry mouth to find some moisture so he can say the things he knows he needs to say. About being careful, and responsibility and not using her power until she knows what she's doing. All of the things any father would say. The moment of speechlessness gives him enough foresight to bite his tongue, at least for now. What Jesse really needs, more than anything just then, is a scientist. And while Harry is well aware of his many failings as a father, when it comes to science, he has no doubts in his abilities. 

They run through every test they can with the limited means they have at their S.T.A.R. Labs. This lab, unlike on the other Earth, was never equipped to accurately measure the affects of speed. Even worse, there is no one he works with who he trusts to help him run the tests. He doesn't even want to consider what might happen if word got out to the wrong person that Harrison Wells' daughter was a metahuman. 

“Well?” Jesse asks, vibrating in her skin as her father looks over the results they have compiled. 

“It would seem that you were effected by the dark matter when we gave Barry back his speed.”

“This is permanent then? Like Barry?”

Harry hides his grimace behind his coffee cup. “Looks like.”

Jesse's eyes soften, moving around the desk to stand beside her father. “Dad, you don't have to worry. I can handle this.”

“Of course I have to worry, Jesse! Do you know how dangerous this is? Do you know-” He hits the table hard enough that his hand aches.

“How could I not know? Do you forget where I spent half of last year?” Jesse narrows her eyes at him. “I'm the last person you need to lecture about danger.”

Harry squeezes his eyes shut, his stomach sinking with guilt at the reminder. “I don't want you to get hurt. Not again.”

“So, we'll run more tests. I'll train. Just like Barry did.” Jesse perks up suddenly, giving Harry a guileful look. “You know, there's no one better to teach me than Barry.”

“No,” Harry shakes his head, his voice raising in volume as he continues to speak. “Absolutely not. Technology here is decades beyond anything they have over there. I can develop anything that we need right here.” 

“Fine. I'm leaving. You can call me when you realize you're wrong, and change your mind.”

Before he can respond, Jesse is gone. Harrison laughs, despite himself. “Round two, and probably every round for the rest of my life: Jesse.”

Harry sets to work, intent on proving his daughter wrong.

_____

It takes him eight hours to admit she is right. It isn't that he can't do it. It's that he can't do it alone. He doesn't have the medical training that Caitlin does or the level of engineering skills nor creativity of Cisco. The missing pieces to his knowledge are something he is willing to tolerate on projects where he has the time to move slowly. When it comes to Jesse, there is no moving slowly. 

A warm fondness fills his chest when Jesse doesn't utter the words 'I told you so'. Instead, she gives her father a supportive look and sets to the task of helping him gear up for their return trip to the other Earth, and honing her own speed to make the journey.

She fills the silence of the workroom with talk of seeing Wally again, and finally getting her hands on a quality Big Belly Burger after so long. It's when she never mentions Cisco, even as she speaks of Caitlin and Barry and Iris, that Harry realizes she is doing it more for his benefit than her own. It's also when he realizes that Jesse knows far more about her father's own feelings than she's been letting on. 

It doesn't stop the gnawing worry in the pit of his stomach of what will happen when he faces Cisco again, but it helps more than he is willing to say.

It isn't that he thinks Cisco hates him suddenly. He knows they parted on good terms, despite how long it took them to get there. It's the thought that he's no more than just another person to Cisco. Someone who you say goodbye to, with promises to see each other more often, only to drift away easily; comfortable to meet or not meet again. 

It wouldn't be a new experience, being that to someone. The shine of being the Harrison Wells who created S.T.A.R. Labs always fades quickly once people meet him and realize he's just as big of an ass as people say he is. The thing of it is, this is the first time in a long time that he _has _cared. How deeply those feelings run is something he still can't bring himself to explore, mostly because he knows what that answer will be.__

__That being said, he wouldn't be the man he is if he wasn't willing to face up to his fears. So, when Jesse finally tells him she's ready, he stands before the swirl of blues and whites that will carry him to the other Earth and plunges in headfirst._ _

________ _

__The speed with which Harry gets the answer to just why Cisco and the others had froze him out is almost as surprising as the answer itself. Really, he should have seen it coming._ _

__“How many times did I tell you not to do that?” Harry admonishes Barry, reigning in his anger. The timeline has changed. There is no telling exactly what is different. His only solace is that they, at the very least, know who he and Jesse are._ _

__The sound of Jesse explaining how she discovered her powers is drowned out by the sheer endlessness of possibilities spreading out before Harry like a map he has no key to. He begins considering them with the only starting point he has; Cisco did not vibe over and see him, as promised. Given that, he sees two likely paths; either Cisco still thinks of Harry with the suspicion and derision that characterized the start of their relationship, or, conversely, Cisco might not have the ability to Vibe at all._ _

__He knows those aren't the only two ways this could have gone. The ripples of time might have some completely different version of them that Harry can't begin to fathom._ _

__As Caitlin explains how the speed lab works, Harry studies the way each member of the team interacts with him and each other. He can tell something is not quite right between Iris and Joe, who no longer move together in sync, but instead against each other like opposing forces. Wally disappears before he can get a read on him. Caitlin seems the same, but he knows even if there were changes, she wouldn't be one to put them on display._ _

__Then, there's Cisco. He wavers between acting like the Cisco he remembers, ready with a wry comment or pop culture reference, to one who seems uncomfortable and out of place, as if he's standing outside of the group rather than a member of it. It doesn't take him long to realize how much of what Cisco is presenting is an act; there to cover up whatever it is that is going on inside his head._ _

__He's itching to know more, but he doesn't know how to ask, or even what questions would give him the understanding he needs. Instead, he narrows his focus to the one problem he knows he can solve; how to help his daughter._ _

________ _

__By the next morning, the speed lab provides them with everything Harry could possibly want to know, and even a few things he hadn't considered. Jesse's tests come out comparatively normal, and besides training her to better handle her abilities, even he has to admit, there isn't much else for them to do. The speed lab is far more advanced than the tools he expected would be at their disposal and much sooner than expected, he's left leaning into paper thin arguments as to why Jesse shouldn't use her speed. Time, the one thing he needs right now, isn't on his side. And as it turns out, neither are the allies he expected to help him convince Jesse to reign it in._ _

__When he asks, first Cisco, then Caitlin refuses to speak to Jesse about her abilities. Harry can only narrow his eyes and flail his arms in frustration as Caitlin storms out, leaving him alone in the speed lab with Cisco. A Cisco who can barely look at him._ _

__The other problem, the much more unsolvable one, rears its head. Cisco doesn't try and strike a conversation with Harry, and Harry doesn't know where to begin in speaking to Cisco. He watches while Cisco half-heartedly scrolls through Jesse's data, and wills himself to gain control of his fluctuating emotions. Death by stress induced stroke, he thinks, is looking more and more likely by the minute._ _

__“I suppose you want me to run this information through again, even though we don't need to?” Cisco asks. He sounds distant; professional. Nothing like the Cisco he left behind, and exactly the kind of Cisco he feared he might return to. Only now, he has no idea whether that coldness is of his own making, or created by the timeline deviation. Frustrated does not begin to cover how Harry feels._ _

__“She's my daughter. Something I'd only expect you to understand if you had one of your own. She's not ready.” Harry says harshly, relishing in how good it feels to lash out, however unwarranted. He needs the familiarity of their repartee, and he's going to get it, even if it means forcing it out of Cisco._ _

__“Well, if you think she's not ready, then obviously she's not. Harry knows best, as always.”_ _

__“That's right, I do. Nice to see you finally acknowledging it.”_ _

__“Whatever, Harry,” Cisco says through clenched teeth._ _

__Harry's stomach sinks when Cisco starts the process of shutting down the computers. He isn't engaging him; he isn't even trying to fight back. Whatever Harry is missing here, whatever has changed between them, is much bigger than Harry could have imagined._ _

__With the awareness that their well practiced exchanges won't work, he shifts to a more cautioned approach. “She's 18 years old. Do you really want to see her in the kind of danger that Barry jumps in front of every day? She's your friend.” Harry pauses, and braces himself before finishing, “I'm your friend.”_ _

__Cisco narrows his eyes at him, giving him a look of complete disbelief. “You're my...you're my friend. Yeah, Okay,” Cisco snorts sarcastically. “Jesse may be my friend, but you certainly aren't. You're out of your mind if you think I'd be that easy.”_ _

__Cisco pushes past him, leaving Harry alone to absorb just how completely out of his depth he is._ _

________ _

__“More has changed here than Barry realizes.”_ _

__Harry had given himself a few moments to calm down, before making his way into Caitlin's office, but the anger he feels still colors every word, and he can't bring himself to care, even when Caitlin flinches in response to it._ _

__Caitlin freezes in her actions. “What makes you think that?” Her tone is light, uncaring, but Harry knows Caitlin enough to see that she's on edge._ _

__He walks slowly toward her, watching her as he speaks. “It's Ramon...Cisco,” Harry amends, after a beat. At the mention of his name, the tension in Caitlin's shoulders dissipates slightly. Whatever it is that she is hiding, and Harry would bet his life that she _is_ hiding something, clearly has nothing to do with Cisco or Harry. He files the information away to be dealt with later. “Something happened between us here. Any chance you can enlighten me?”_ _

__“Whatever may or may not have happened between you and Cisco is none of my business.”_ _

__Harry lets out a frustrated noise. “Then make it your business, Snow! Because thanks to Barry Allen, Ramon is treating me like his mortal enemy, and as far as I was aware, we were on good terms.”_ _

__At this, she looks equal parts curious and concerned. “Well, you definitely didn't do that here.”_ _

__“Then tell me what happened,” Harry urges her, losing all patience._ _

__“You're going to have to talk to him, Harry. I don't feel like it's mine to tell. It's his and yours.” She pauses, furrowing her brow in confusion. “Though of course you have no memory of it so maybe it's his and the other Wells.”_ _

__“Yeah, well, if you haven't noticed, he doesn't exist anymore. I do.”_ _

__Caitlin's lips thin in a sympathetic line. “Have you told Cisco your memories don't line up?”_ _

__“He hasn't given me a chance.”_ _

__“Yeah, not surprising. Just talk to him, okay? I know it wasn't technically you, but you really hurt him. And between that and his brother dying-”_ _

__Harry stops her, his eyes widening as a sour feeling settles in his stomach. “Dante's dead?”_ _

__“Yeah. A few months ago. I can't be sure whether you would have even known that in the other timeline, considering it happened after you left.”_ _

__“Christ.” He sits down heavily, running his hands through his hair. The similarities between the sadness Cisco now carries, and his own lonely bitterness after losing Tess crystallizes in his mind. Gratitude at having another piece to this jagged puzzle in place gives way to shame, then guilt. Whatever the circumstances, he hasn't been there for Cisco. And, if he's right, whatever the other version of himself did, only made things worse for him._ _

__“He's been really wrecked by it. He was only just starting to deal, and now you've shown up.” Caitlin shakes her head. “Just talk to him, Harry.”_ _

________ _

__He finds Cisco alone in his lab, crouching over his workbench, back turned to Harry. Harry allows himself a moment to study the lines of his body. He looks just like the Cisco he remembered, lost in whatever project he's working on, oblivious to the world around him. Had Barry not messed up the timeline, he imagines he'd be wrestling right then with how to get Cisco to stop rambling on about whatever it is he's working on so they could tackle a serious topic rather than how to get him to speak to him at all._ _

__Harry clears his throat, wincing as Cisco tenses, clearly unhappy to realize he's there. “Ramon.”_ _

__“What is it?” Cisco grounds out between clenched teeth. He still hasn't turned to face Harry, instead pretending to continue to fiddle with his project, though Harry can tell he isn't really working anymore._ _

__“There's something you need to know.”_ _

__“Oh? And what's that, Harry? Heading home already? Don't let the portal hit you on the way out,” Cisco responds, each word dripping with sarcasm._ _

__“Whatever it is you're mad at me for, I don't remember it,” Harry says, in something between a whisper and a rasp. “Or more accurately, it wasn't me.”_ _

__Cisco twists his head to look at Harry, his chest swiftly rising and falling. “The timeline?”_ _

__“Yeah, the timeline.” Harry moves closer, so that he is standing in front of Cisco, forcing him to look at him, only the workbench standing between them._ _

__“Great. Just great,” Cisco laughs harshly, with a shake of his head. “Here I am, all pissed at you, for good reason I might add, and you don't remember.”_ _

__Harry gives him a forced smile. “If it makes you feel better, I was under the impression that I was the one who had every reason to be pissed at you.”_ _

__Cisco nods thoughtfully, “That does kinda make me feel better.” His tone is light, but the expression on his face let's Harry know that whatever happened between them can't be dismissed with a simple joke._ _

__Harry wants to touch him. To reach out, and feel the rough material of his shirt beneath his fingers. To know that Cisco is real and okay, and with him in this. Instead, he steps back from Cisco, picking up the whiteboard marker. He turns it over in his hands, willing Cisco to fill the silence, like he would have done before, even at his maddest with Harry. It's only when Cisco continues standing there, an unhappy look on his face, that Harry pushes._ _

__“I heard about your brother.” As changes in subjects go, it's likely not the best course of action, considering the way Cisco folds in on himself. “I'm sorry for your loss.”_ _

__“Yeah, well, it's just part of life, right? Losing the people you love,” Cisco responds evenly, clearly trying to keep the emotion out of his voice._ _

__Harry takes a chance, reaching forward and brushing Cisco's hair behind his ear. The sadness he sees there, and the way his heart aches in response casts away all doubt about just where his feelings for Cisco lay. His brain _would _choose such an awful moment to realize he's in love.___ _

____“After it happened, I begged Barry to go back and fix it. He wouldn't do it.”_ _ _ _

____“At least he learned his lesson.”_ _ _ _

____Cisco backs away, giving Harry a sharp look. “Funny how he only listens when it isn't about him.”_ _ _ _

____Harry let's out a frustrated breath. “Messing with the timeline is always a bad idea, Ramon. Someone is always going to lose out and get hurt. You and I should know that better than anyone.”_ _ _ _

____Cisco shrugs, moving back over to his workbench. He runs his hands over the spare parts, but makes no move to engage with them. “You know what really sucks? I was just starting to forgive Barry. Now, I can't help thinking with all this.” He gestures between himself and Harry before continuing. “That maybe things might had been different. My brother might still be here.”_ _ _ _

____“Maybe he would. Maybe he wouldn't. I can't tell you either way. The last time I spoke to any of you was over three months ago.” Unlike Cisco, Harry can't keep what he's feeling from coating his words, but Cisco either doesn't notice it or chooses not to acknowledge it. Harry isn't sure which he'd prefer. A Cisco indifferent to his feelings, or one so distant, he doesn't notice them at all._ _ _ _

____“So, about the same time we last remember speaking to you.”_ _ _ _

____“Seems so.”_ _ _ _

____“I guess then, there's no point thinking about it,” Cisco concludes, in a way that suggests the conversation is over. Harry can tell though, that he's still caught up in it; not yet done thinking of all the what ifs that Barry has foisted on them._ _ _ _

____Harry wants to keep talking. To poke and prod at Cisco until he fully understands just where their memories deviate. His gut though, tells him to give it a rest. Cisco isn't one of his projects he can work at relentlessly until he knows how it works. He places the unused marker back on the whiteboard, and urges his feet forward._ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _

____Things only get worse with Jesse in the wake of Wally nearly killing himself in an attempt to prove he too is a speedster. Harry completely loses it. He yells at her, voicing every concern and fear that had settled in his mind since Jesse sped into his office. And he does it all in front of the team. He can't even be mad when Caitlin lays into him, knowing he deserves it at the very least for embarrassing Jesse; no matter how valid his concerns might be. All the while, Cisco watches on silently._ _ _ _

____It's that final detail that leads him outside, pulling in deep breath after deep breath, hands braced on his knees._ _ _ _

____“You trying to get yourself shot?”_ _ _ _

____Harry stands up straight at the sound of Joe's voice. He's leaning against the building, phone in hand. He looks just about as stressed as Harry feels._ _ _ _

____“If you're referring to me yelling at my daughter-”_ _ _ _

____“Actually,” Joe interrupts. “I was talking about you showing your face outside. But you have a point. That girl of yours is fierce.”_ _ _ _

____“I needed a break.”_ _ _ _

____“C'mon. I know just the place,” Joe says, gesturing for Harry to follow him._ _ _ _

____Any other day, Harry would have said no, but the thought of going back into that building, back to stressing over everything and everyone around him, has him trailing after Joe without a second thought._ _ _ _

____Joe takes him to a small, run down bar just on the city limits. Harry hasn't been here before, but he feels instantly at home. It's the kind of place where nobody cares who you are, or what you might have done, as long as you keep to yourself and pay at the end of the night._ _ _ _

____“I used to come here whenever Iris and I would have one of our knock down, drag out fights.”_ _ _ _

____“I didn't think you guys had that kind of relationship,” Harry says, hoping his meaning is vague enough that if Joe doesn't know about the way the timeline manipulated his life, Harry won't be the one to tell him. While Joe deserves to know, Harry does _not_ want to deal with the baggage of that particular bit of misery coming from him. _ _ _ _

____“The fighting calmed down after Iris moved out. It may sound strange, but sometimes I miss it,” Joe smiles sadly. He swirls his drink in his hand, watching as the liquid sloshes against the sides of the glass._ _ _ _

____“Well, that's...depressing.”_ _ _ _

____Joe laughs, with a shake of his head. “You're telling me. Which is why, I am telling you to work whatever this is out with your daughter. You don't want to end up like us. Trust me.”_ _ _ _

____Harry takes a sip of his whiskey, considering Joe's advice. He knows he isn't wrong, but that doesn't stop him from wishing Jesse would see things his way. That it could be as simple as telling her what to do, and her doing it._ _ _ _

____“I don't know how to get it through her head that being a hero is dangerous.”_ _ _ _

____“Been there, done that with Barry. You're never going to convince her, try as you might. You just gotta have her back, and hope she stays safe. Easier said than done, I know.”_ _ _ _

____Harry orders a second drink, savoring the burn of the whiskey on his tongue. He waits until the bartender is a safe distance from them, before continuing their conversation. He has no real reason to be suspicious of him, but Harry is a suspicious man by nature, and the last thing he wants is his secrets being passed around an unknown place._ _ _ _

____“When Jesse was taken by Zoom, I'd never been more scared in my life. All I could think about was saving her. Getting her as far away from danger as possible where I could see her and know that nobody would ever lay a hand on her again.”_ _ _ _

____Joe makes a sympathetic sound. “I felt the same way with Barry. I spent years trying to get it through his head that he wasn't to blame for his mom. Trying to protect him from himself. Next thing I knew, he was out there, risking his life every day. Doing everything he could do make up for something that wasn't even his fault in the first place.”_ _ _ _

____“You ever wish you did more to stop him?”_ _ _ _

____“I used to. Now, I think it did more to convince him I was right than anything I could ever say. Maybe it's the same for Jesse. Maybe instead of being the one in danger, she needs to be the one doing the saving for once. You ever think of that?”_ _ _ _

____“You're a smart man, Joe West.”_ _ _ _

____Harry downs the rest of his drink, leaves more than enough money on the bar for them both, and heads out the door. Break over._ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _

____When Harry gets back to The Cortex, he finds the lights dimmed and the room empty. With no meta on the attack, everyone is at home, taking advantage of the few spare moments of free time this kind of life affords them._ _ _ _

____He ambles down to his old room to settle in for the night, not surprised when he doesn't see Jesse. He sits heavily on her bed, running his hand over the soft sheets. Even though they had been gone for months, the team had kept it just as they had left it. His own bed, still made up with hospital sheets and blankets, while Jesse's is wrapped in a warm comforter Caitlin had given her as a welcoming present. Unlike Jesse, he'd never really tried to make this a home. He doesn't know what that says about him, given he had been the one intent on staying while Jesse had always intended to go back home._ _ _ _

____His reverie is interrupted by a light knocking at the door. He looks up, breath catching in his throat at the sight of Cisco._ _ _ _

____“Hey. I'm not bothering you, am I?”_ _ _ _

____“Does it look like you're bothering me?” Harry says, gesturing for Cisco to come inside. “I thought everyone had gone home for the night.”_ _ _ _

____“I was finishing something up.” Cisco takes a few hesitant steps forward, before seeming to come to some sort of decision, striding forward briskly and settling on the cot opposite Harry. “I made this. For Jesse,” he adds, holding out a small metal box._ _ _ _

____“Why are you giving it to me then?” Harry asks, pushing up his glasses, and accepting the box._ _ _ _

____“After what happened earlier, I figured you needed all the help you could get getting back on her good side.”_ _ _ _

____Harry opens the box, letting out a long breath as he studies the insignia nestled inside. It's not a huge departure from the lightning bolt design Cisco created for Barry, but the slight differences feel tailor made for Jesse. He doesn't even have to close his eyes to picture what it will look like emblazoned on her chest._ _ _ _

____“This is...” Harry starts, but finds himself at a loss for words. Harry had taken Cisco's silence in the Cortex earlier as some form of judgment, or maybe even indifference; he hadn't yet decided. This though, is something else entirely._ _ _ _

____“It was Caitlin's idea to reconfigure one of Barry's suits for Jesse, but I thought she should have something all her own.”_ _ _ _

____“Thank you for this, Cisco. It'll mean a lot to Jesse.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah, of course. No big deal,” Cisco says, with a slight smile. “I'll just go finish work on the suit. And let you know when it's done.”_ _ _ _

____As Cisco begins to stand, Harry reaches out to stop him. He'd been aiming for Cisco's arm, but instead, his fingers tangle with Cisco's own. The grip feels familiar, though he's sure he and Cisco have never clasped hands before. He's always made it a point, to not let Cisco touch him too much, afraid of what he might see._ _ _ _

____“Harry?” Cisco asks softly when Harry continues to sit there mutely, eyes focused solely on their point of connection._ _ _ _

____After another moment, Cisco takes his hand back, first rubbing it against his thigh, then using it to brush his hair behind his ear. Harry traces the movements, all the while wishing Cisco hadn't let go._ _ _ _

____“I need to know – I _have_ to know – what happened between us,” Harry finally says. _ _ _ _

____“Maybe it's better if you don't.”_ _ _ _

____“No. It's not better. This, the way things are between us, it's unacceptable to me. I won't accept it.”_ _ _ _

____Cisco bites his lip, letting out shaky breath after shaky breath. “Fine. If you really want to know.”_ _ _ _

____“I do.”_ _ _ _

____“You left,” Cisco shrugs._ _ _ _

____Harry gives Cisco a confused look, not sure what to make of the answer. “That's it? I left?”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah. You left _me_. After everything, you just left.” Cisco cuts himself off with a shake of his head. It's only when Harry sees the way his eyes are shining with unshed tears that Cisco's phrasing hits home for Harry._ _ _ _

____“I left you. Are you saying that we were...” He leaves the sentence hanging, unwilling to commit himself to what he knows Cisco means._ _ _ _

____“Oh God,” Cisco moans, covering his face with his hands. “Yes, we were together. Which means, in your timeline, we weren't together at all.”_ _ _ _

____Harry pushes past the shock to answer. “We were friends. At least on my side of things we were.”_ _ _ _

____“Did I not think of you that way?” Cisco peaks out from beneath his hands, looking troubled by this line of thinking._ _ _ _

____Harry sighs, scrubbing at his face, trying to find the words to explain the complicated emotions he had spent so long pushing away. “You did, I think. In between the wise ass comments and the stupid remarks. You even promised to come see me, on my Earth. But you never did.”_ _ _ _

____“Because of the timeline,” Cisco remarks, eyes lighting up with understanding. “The timeline changed, and I was no longer the Cisco that thought I was supposed to come see you. That's why you were mad at me when you came here?”_ _ _ _

____“Well, it sounds trite when you say it like that.”_ _ _ _

____Cisco laughs. “This is so ridiculous. So, here we are, both thinking the other person has royally messed up. When in reality, it's neither of us.”_ _ _ _

____“I wouldn't say that. What happened to you, still happened. Even if I don't remember doing it, I hurt you.”_ _ _ _

____Cisco plops back dramatically on Harry's bed. “And now I can't even be mad at you. This is the worst breakup ever.”_ _ _ _

____“Even worse than when you dated a reincarnated Hawk Lady?” Harry asks, with a quirk of his brow._ _ _ _

____“Okay, maybe not that bad,” Cisco concedes._ _ _ _

____Cisco props himself up on his arms, and looks at Harry; really looks at him. Harry fidgets under his gaze, suddenly aware that Cisco has an advantage over him now. Cisco knows him, in ways Harry hasn't had the chance to get to know Cisco. He can only guess just how personal and deep Cisco's knowledge is. He's dizzy with the thought of it. Not just what Cisco knows of him, but of all of the things he missed, and all of the ways Cisco might have changed since the last time he saw him. He knows from experience how months spent by one person's side can make things inside you shift, and grow and break. A time aberration of himself stole those moments from him. Some part of his mind acknowledges just how ridiculous it is to be jealous of yourself, but it's drowned out by the utter fury that no matter what he does, he'll never be able to take that time back._ _ _ _

____Harry stands up rapidly, leaving Cisco blinking up at him from the cot, as if woken from a trance. Just as Cisco is about to ask what he's doing, the sound of the metahuman alert system saves Harry from having to explain._ _ _ _

____Harry leaves wordlessly, not bothering to look back to see if Cisco is following. He needs time to think about this; time to consider what the hell it all means._ _ _ _

____Harry had thought that once he knew the whys and hows of the silence from Team Flash, he'd feel some sense of closure; for better or worse. Now, with everything laid out before him, all he has are more questions and this time, he knows, he has no one to look to for answers but himself. What he does, from here on out is on him._ _ _ _

____The thought shouldn't scare him as much as it does._ _ _ _


	2. Chapter 2

_  
“You're really leaving then.”_

_“We talked about this. I don't belong here.”_

_“But you could belong here. If you wanted to.”_

_“This isn't my home.”_

_“It really is that simple for you, isn't it? After everything.”_

_“You're going to thank me one day.”_

_“Too bad for you, you won't be here to see it.”_

_“I'm sorry.”_

_“Not sorry enough.”  
_

Cisco wakes with a groan, pushing away the memory that had gripped him so tightly in sleep. It's one that has replayed in his head a million times before, but not since it first happened, has his mind forced him to recall it in such startling clarity. The anger, frustration and loss trail after him, begging to be acknowledged, but Cisco isn't having it. He's given up more than enough of his time to those feelings.

He's tired. Not just in the, 'I haven't gotten enough sleep in over a year because metas are always attacking at the most inconvenient times' way. Or even in the 'I haven't had an actual vacation in ages because somehow, the hero of Central City has come to depend on me' way. Both of those are true, but that kind of exhaustion? He knows he can deal with. The bone deep ache from the double edged sword of losing Harry and his brother back to back, on the other hand, is getting to be a bit too much for him.

And of course, just as he was starting to put it all behind him, just as the nightmares were giving way to full nights of sleep, Harry swooped in, and dredged it all back up. His ex returning would be enough to give him the tension headache to end all tension headaches, but like everything in his life, it's not even that simple. No; Harry is here and Harry doesn't remember a damn thing. 

Cisco resists the impulse to scream into his pillow, and instead checks his phone to make sure he hasn't missed any important messages overnight. Luckily, all appears quiet now that things with Magenta have been put to bed. Just the thought of her fills Cisco with overwhelming pity. Joe had promised to help her, and Cisco believes him, but he can't stop himself from wondering how the hell a kid like her could be expected to ever get over what she's been through. The abuse she experienced at the hands of her foster father would send anyone to therapy for life. Throw in the revenge scenario, and the fact that Magenta – no Frankie – can't even be fully sure just how much of what she did was even her in the first place, and Cisco sees all the makings of a tragic ending. 

The parallels between her and his situation with Harry don't escape him. He's read enough comics where the villain of the week mirrored whatever trials and tribulations the characters were going through to almost find it funny. But this isn't a story, and on both fronts, he doesn't know how to simplify the complicated. He envies people like Caitlin, who can rest easy even when the pieces to the puzzle in front of them don't fit together perfectly. Caitlin may not like it, but she accepts the imperfections of life while Cisco will do everything he can to force the jagged pieces together. 

Which is why he figures, if his mind is going to force him to think about Harry, he matter as well be proactive about. Cisco is done with playing the victim, especially in the face of this new plot twist, which makes doing so frustratingly pointless. It's time to put aside the fantasies (both the ones where he and Harry work everything out with ease, and the ones where he throws in Harry's face, just what he is missing by giving up Cisco) and actually do something about it.

And by do something, he means preparing his favorite comfort food breakfast, pulling up a word document on his laptop, and listing out the mess that is currently his life, in an attempt to make sense of it all.

 **Point One:** The all too short and confusing relationship of one Francisco Ramon and Harrison Wells crashed and burned. (He really should have seen this coming.) 

**Point Two:** Harry came back, but without any awareness that anything in Point One actually happened. (So he can't even yell at him.)

 **Point Three:** He is never going to get Point One Harry back. Point One Harry no longer exists (He has Barry to thank for that.)

 **Point Four:** His experiences were real. Harry's experiences were also real. (Real, but far more boring and sex free than his own.) 

**Point Five:** He's still angry at Harry. He's also still in love with him, even though he stomped all over Cisco's heart. (What is wrong with him?)

 **Point Six:** He loved Harry even before they got together. So, there is nothing weird about assigning the same feelings to this Harry as he did the other one. (He's still HARRY. Ridiculous, grumpy, sarcastic, sexy as hell Harry.)

 **Point Seven:** He has no idea what Harry actually wants. Even if Harry keeps looking at him like he's first prize at the science fair (No matter the timeline, Harry will always be a tease, because Harry is the WORST.) 

**Point Eight:** Wanting Harry, and Harry wanting him doesn't change that they have already crashed and burned once, and that was without timeline baggage. It could happen again. Given that, it's probably healthier for them both if they leave things as they are. (But when has he ever done the healthier thing?) 

**Point Nine:** The only way he is going to figure this out, is to stop being angry and actually talk to Harry. 

It isn't much, he knows. But it's a place to start. And that's more than he had yesterday.  
___

By mid-morning, point nine all but falls apart. When he gets to The Cortex, he settles in with his coffee, ready to work through the post-metahuman attack data with Caitlin and Harry. On the car ride over, he'd worked himself up to looking forward to falling back into their routine, bouncing information back and forth in between well pointed barbs while testing what this new normal means for them. The thing is, when he made his newly minted decision to try and act like an adult when it comes to Harry, he'd assumed Harry would be on the same page. It doesn't take long to realize he assumed wrong.

Harry doesn't actually ignore him. Instead he gives short monosyllabic answers laced with a false politeness that makes Cisco's blood boil.

....

“I'm going to get more coffee. Want some, Harry?”

“No, I'm fine.”

....

“Did you want to see the data on the changes in Magenta's vitals when she shifts from Frankie to Magenta?”

“No, I'm good.”

….

“Hey, Harry; do you have an extra marker? Mine's run out.”

“No, I don't.”

....

It goes on like that for nearly two hours before Caitlin, like the good friend she is, tries to make things easier on Cisco.

“I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving.”

“Not hungry,” Harry replies, not even bothering to look up from the papers he's combing over. Cisco's pretty sure he's reading over Jesse's stats for what must be the hundredth time since her last test.

“What about you, Cisco?”

Cisco sends her a thankful look. “I had a big breakfast. You go ahead.”

Harry does look up at that, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “On second thought, I could use a burger.”

“Oh.” Caitlin exclaims, eyes wide as she glances between Cisco and Harry. “Okay, just tell me what you want, and I'll bring it back.”

Harry ignores her, grabbing his coat and heading for the door. “You coming?”

Cisco let's out a sigh, gesturing for Caitlin to go ahead, knowing there is no point in keeping up their ruse. It's not that Cisco thought Harry wouldn't realize what they were doing. He just didn't think he'd go to such lengths to avoid him.

“Can you be any more of a child, Harry?” Cisco shouts to the empty room. He kicks his garbage can for extra effect, but all that does is leave him with sore toes. 

“What's Harry done now?” 

Cisco starts at the sight of Barry, who didn't even have the grace to whoosh in and give Cisco some warning. “Jesus, Barry; wear a bell or something.”

“Where is everyone?”

“Caitlin went to get lunch. Harry went with her, because nothing gets the appetite going like the thought of being stuck here alone with me.”

“Why would Harry be avoiding you?”

Cisco bites his lip, savoring in the sting of pain which will hopefully remind him in the future not to run his mouth around Barry when it comes to the subject of the timeline change. Cisco really isn't in the mood to play informer to Barry, especially not about this. 

“Forget it. It's not a big deal.”

“It's the timeline again, isn't it?” Barry furrows his brow in concern, sitting in the chair opposite Cisco and leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. “I screwed something else up. Something big. Between you and Harry?”

Cisco rolls his chair back a few inches, and busies himself with wiping away the rings of coffee from his now drained cup. “I really don't want to talk about it. At least not with you or anyone else not named Harrison Wells.”

“I noticed you and Harry were acting kind of weird.” Barry pauses, allowing Cisco room to reply, but Cisco stays quiet, hoping Barry will take it for the massive hint that it is, and leave.

Cisco knows if he talks about this with Barry, he won't be able to stop himself from saying something he'll regret later. The worst part is, he wants to have this conversation with Barry; just not now when his perfectly justified anger at Barry for messing things up is so tangled in his confusing emotions toward Harry. Not now, when he can feel himself directing every ounce of rage that should be reserved for the man who broke his heart, at Barry. Because Barry is here, and that Harry isn't, and never will be again. 

Barry, being Barry, doesn't give up.

“I'm sorry. For whatever I changed. If I made things worse.”

“It's not about it being worse, Barry,” Cisco exclaims, unable to hold back any longer. “It's about it being different. Do you get that? What we know and what you know and what Harry knows, they don't match. You think of us one way, but we've had all of these things happen to us that you weren't there for. You can't just make that go away by being sorry.”

“You're right. But it doesn't change that I am sorry, Cisco. I'm trying here. Let me help you if I can,” Barry pleads. 

“I know you're trying. I just need some space, okay? There's nothing you can do about this,” Cisco sighs, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly tired.

Cisco clicks around aimlessly on his computer, as Barry stares on, unblinking. What he says next, surprises him just as much as it seems to surprise Barry. “What were we like? Me and Harry.”

“You were friends. I mean, it didn't start out that way. You guys were always arguing, even after you started getting along. But it worked, in a super messed up sort of way.”

“Yeah, it did," Cisco smiles sadly, his heart lifting momentarily at the confirmation that romantic relationship or not, things between him and Harry in the other timeline weren't all that different; not in the ways that truly mattered at least. "Now he won't even talk to me.” 

“Why won't he talk to you? I need you to clue me in here. I can't stand seeing you guys all upset, and having no idea what to do to fix it.”

“You can't fix everything, Barry.” 

The truth of the statement reverberates around them, long enough to make Cisco feel slightly bad for being so honest. He can't apologize for it, but he can tell Barry what he wants to know; a peace offering of sorts. 

“The short version. Harry and I were together, then we weren't, and then you changed the timeline. I told Harry, and well, he's having just a little bit of trouble coming to terms with that.” Cisco says, and can't help but mentally pat himself on the back for how well he did keeping the emotion out of his voice. His face, which has always been a neon sign for whatever is going on in his head, is obviously a different story from the way Barry's face crumples in response. Still, he'll call it a win. 

“And by together you mean... you can't mean...”

“You know what I mean.” Cisco nudges him, using the momentum to roll back in his chair. “We were dating, sans the actual going on dates. Between Jay and Zoom and rescuing Jesse, we didn't exactly have a lot of time to iron out the details.”

“Did I know about this?”

“Yeah. You, uh, were the one who pushed me to make a move.” The memory which once stood as a reminder of how much Barry meant to him now leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. “It's amazing I listened to you after watching you fumble around with Iris for all that time.”

“I'm glad to hear at least some version of me did something right. Even if it ended." Barry places a supportive hand on Cisco's shoulder before continuing, "How did it end anyway?" 

Cisco bites his tongue, breathing heavily through his nose as he shrugs off Barry's hand. He really had been trying to be reasonable, but something about the comment breaks the facade that this conversation could be anything but excruciating. He starts to count to ten, giving up just before he reaches three. No matter how much his therapist insists the trick works, it never has for him. Especially not in moments where he _really_ needs it.

“Why yes, Barry. Please go ahead and ask me about my extremely painful breakup that may or may not exist, depending on who you talk to," Cisco snaps. 

“You're right. I shouldn't have asked. I just - I know you and Harry fight all the time, but I also know you two care about each other. It's hard to picture either of you doing something to really hurt one another,” Barry rushes to say, tripping over his words and looking vaguely like someone kicked his puppy. 

He leans back in his chair with a sigh, letting it spin slowly as he talks. “If you must know, Harry didn't believe in long distance, cross-dimensional relationships. Even when your boyfriend has the ability to make portals and visit.” 

Barry shakes his head. “You really think that was the reason? I know I wasn't there, but hear me out. Harry loves his wife, and he loses her. Harry loves his daughter, and she gets kidnapped. Maybe he was worried what caring about you would lead to.”

Cisco lets out a laugh, as the disorienting sense of deja vu washes over him. “You said almost the exact same thing to me just after he left.”

“Well, you listened to me once. Why not again?”

Cisco rolls his eyes. Even if Barry did have a point, which Cisco is not willing to admit just then, that Harry is gone. “It doesn't matter now. None of it matters. Which is beyond messed up and I'll never forgive you for, just so you know.”

“Noted. You have no idea how noted it is,” Barry insists. 

“Good. So, we don't have to talk about it anymore.”

Barry stands up, bouncing on the balls of his feet, but making no move to leave yet. Cisco braces himself for whatever Barry is going to say. The words when they come, remind him just how well Barry knows him. 

“One more thing and then I'll go. Did you ever think that you're looking at this the wrong way? With the other Harry, it ended, but with this Harry...it never even started. Maybe this is your second chance. Just, think about it, Cisco.”

It's the only thing Cisco can think about for the rest of the day.

____

Cisco has never been very good at forgetting. He can look at a room and feel the press of past moments against his mind, begging for attention. It had been almost too much to be around Harry at first for that exact reason. A single look could take him back to Eobard; for better or worse. 

Looking around his workshop, he can almost see the memory play out before his eyes. He can feel the wall against his back, the heat emanating from Harry's body, the touch of his rough hands against his skin as he kisses him. All as if it were yesterday. He doesn't need to vibe for it to be real to him. Now, if only he could make it real for Harry too. The thought is a fruitless one, but one he can't quite get himself to abandon. 

“Cisco? Earth to Cisco” Cisco jerks out of his thoughts to find Caitlin standing in front of him, waving her hand in front of his face. 

“Hi,” Cisco blinks. “How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough. Should I be worried?”

“I was just thinking about the Wells curse.”

Caitlin tilts her head, eyeing him with something between concern and amusement. “The Wells curse?”

“I'm telling you, it's a thing. Once is an occurrence. Twice is a pattern. I meet a Wells, I trust a Wells, I get screwed over by a Wells, and time blinks them out of existence before I can tell them what a dick they are.”

“Eobard wasn't Harrison Wells.”

“Technically, no. But up here,” Cisco taps his temple. “He was. I can't just logic that away. And I'm not saying I see him and Harry as the same at all, because I don't. It doesn't change that two men, with the same face, and same name screwed me over. That, Caitlin, is why it's a curse."

“I thought things were getting better between you and Harry. You seemed like you were trying to get along with him.”

“I was. I am. I want to. I really really want to, Caitlin.” Cisco cringes at how desperate he sounds. It suddenly dawns on him just how much the desire to scream in Harry's face, to turn his anger on him has faded since his conversation with Barry. Some part of him, a big part, wants to take advantage of this; to completely ignore what he's been through, and the chance that it just might happen again. To do what Barry suggested, and start over; fresh and new and wound-free with this Harry. He was right when he told Barry that the other Harry was gone; but he hadn't realized how much he had fully accepted it until this moment.

“It's okay to be scared,”

Caitlin tells him kindly.

“Me? Scared? What makes you think I'm scared? I've never been scared of anything in my life.”

Caitlin places her hands on her hips, giving him a discerning look. “You practically hid under your seat when we saw The Witch a few weeks ago.”

“Oh, we're going there? Need I remind you that every time the evil goat was on screen, I thought you were going to break my hand. _A goat_. That's right. Now who's the biggest scaredy cat of them all?”

“Fine. You're completely fearless. Better?”

“I will take it, even though I know you're just placating me.” 

Cisco goes to his desk, reaching for his trusty jar of Twizzlers. He offers one to Caitlin. Like always, she declines, but that doesn't stop Cisco from asking each time. He's a gentlemen like that. He sucks on it, letting the subtle flavor hit his tongue, while he gets back to sorting through the mess of wires on his desk. Usually he's much more careful with things that will eventually become one of his awesome inventions. Just another sign that he really needs to get his act together.

While he's busying himself with untangling, he can see Caitlin watching him out of the corner of his eye. Expressions flit across her face, one after the other. Cisco knows her well enough to tell that she's about to say something that he won't like at all, but Caitlin will be adamant needs to be said. 

“Does Harry know how much you care about him? I know you told him you were together but...”

“He knows enough,” Cisco says, cutting her off. “More than I think he wants to, anyway.”

Caitlin's frown deepens. “Cisco, you can't keep going on like this, okay? I'm worried about you.”

“I'm fine! Completely fine. Really. You don't need to worry. I have got this under control. As soon as Harry stops being Harry and you know, talks to me again. I'll figure it out. I promise.” 

“And if he doesn't? What then?” Caitlin asks softly, perching on the edge of his desk. She reaches over, stopping Cisco's hands from the process of untangling, forcing him to look at her. 

“Then, in all likelihood he leaves again,” Cisco says solemnly. The thought of it is enough to make his skin crawl.

“Unless you break the curse. Use those powers of persuasion I _know_ you have and convince him."

Cisco smiles at her, suddenly overwhelmed by how grateful he is to have her in his life. Even at her most blunt, she always seems to find some optimism in the face of overwhelming doubt. “

“Aye, and there's the rub. Last time I could at least wow him with my sexual prowess,” Cisco retorts, waggling his eyebrows.

They're interrupted by the all too familiar sound of Harry clearing his throat. Cisco feels the blush making its way up his neck and heating his cheeks, as Caitlin stands quickly and greets Harry with a false cheeriness that makes even her cringe.

“Not awkward. At all. Nothing awkward about this,” Cisco says to himself, shrinking down into his seat and letting his hair fall into his face. Maybe if Harry can't see him, he'll forget he's here.

“Caitlin, can you...” Harry gestures to the door behind him. Even as he says it, he isn't looking at Caitlin. He only has eyes for Cisco, it seems; something Cisco would have welcomed moments before, but now makes him feel a little like dying.

“Yeah,” Caitlin nods forcefully. “I have things to do. In the Cortex. So, I'll just go do them.”

“Really?” Cisco proclaims. “Some friend you are, abandoning me in my hour of need.” 

He throws the rest of his Twizzler at the now empty doorway Caitlin had just gone through. He looks at Harry to see his reaction. He looks neither impressed nor amused and the seriousness with which he is studying Cisco is enough for Cisco to change gears from embarrassed to nervous. 

“We need to talk.”

“Oh, now you want to talk, Mr. silent treatment?”

“I'll admit, I was being a jerk.”

“You'd think I'd be used to it by now,” Cisco mumbles. He half-heartedly untangles a few more wires, before giving up on it, settling on crossing his arms instead. 

“Yeah, I would. I'm an ass, Cisco. We established that a long time ago,” Harry bites back. 

“Okay, no. You don't just get to say you're an ass, and be absolved of treating me like shit. It isn't fair.”

Harry at least has the grace to look contrite. “You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't know what to say to you, after what you told me. I needed time to process it.”

“What's the verdict, then? You're talking to me, so you had to decide something.”

Harry moves closer, taking up the place next to Cisco's desk that Caitlin had just vacated. “I decided that I don't want to lose you. As a friend.”

“A friend,” Cisco snorts sadly. He isn't sure how aware or not Harry is about what Cisco wants from him. Hell, Cisco hadn't been completely certain himself. But the way the offer makes his stomach sink, wipes away all doubt. What he wants from Harry, is far more than friendship, self preservation be damned.

“I know that you can't just forget, and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for what that other version of me did to you. But, I'm asking you, if you could still find a way to look at me, and see me. Not him.”

Cisco tilts his head to look up at Harry, understanding washing over him like a wave. He'd been so caught up in what he'd lost, so focused on what he wanted, and the way he saw things, that he'd been completely ignoring the fact that Harry had lost something in this too. He'd left behind a friend, and returned to someone changed by time and circumstance. It's difficult to recall the person he was before Harry left, and before Dante died. That Cisco feels like a stranger to him now, just as much as he must feel, in some sense, like a stranger to Harry.

“I think I can do that. Considering you're doing it now with me, right?"

"Trying to. You're still Cisco. Just, sadder." Harry reaches out, his fingers ghosting over the worry lines on Cisco's forehead.

"Hey, we can do this. I'm saying that from experience. Remember, I had to do it once before with you,” Cisco reminds him.

“Not exactly the same, since the last one was actually a time traveling murderer who stole my doppelganger's body, but I see your point,” Harry muses, his shoulders relaxing for the first time since their conversation began.

“No more silent treatment though, okay?" Cisco demands, pointing his finger at Harry. "It's a shitty thing to do to someone.”

“Understood.”

“Right. So, that's the deal then. You act like your normal obnoxious self, and I remember that you're not my ex who, by the way, is way more flexible than he looks. We totally got this.”

“Cisco,” Harry says, a slight warning in his tone, but Cisco doesn't miss his eyes crinkling in the corners, the way they always do when he's trying to hold back a smile.

“Right. No more talking about the other-us thing. I get it.”

“Good.”

“I'm working on a 2.0 of Jesse's suit. If she's anything like Barry, she'll need at least five backups. You in?”

“Lead the way,” Harry says with a soft smile. That same smile that Cisco has only ever seen him give to himself and Jesse. The one that says 'There's nothing else I'd rather do right now than be with you'.

Cisco all but groans at the sight of it. Moving on from what he had with Harry in his timeline, he knows he can do, as promised. But if Harry expects to smile at him that way and _not_ have Cisco lust after him, then, Cisco thinks, he is in for one hell of a rude awakening.

____

Left unsaid in their conversation, is that there wasn't a single moment since guarded suspicion turned to reluctant friendship that he didn't on some level want to be with Harry. And the thing is, when Cisco lays out the evidence, he doesn't think he's alone in this. The way Harry's eyes follow Cisco when he moves. The way his voice turns just slightly more gruff when Cisco stands close. He's seen those signs before. He knows what they lead to. Which is why even when Harry said that all he wanted was to be friends, Cisco couldn't quite believe him.

It doesn't change the fact that he can't force Harry into anything he doesn't want. And that despite what may seem obvious to him, he doesn't fully know where Harry stands. Which is how Cisco finds himself sneaking into Harry's room while he's out to dinner with Jesse, looking for something to vibe on.

It's rude and invasive. It's so crossing a line he shouldn't even be thinking of crossing. It's giving in to the worst impulses in him, when it comes to his power. Cisco does it anyway. 

He finds Harry's well worn hoodie, holds it tightly in his hand and thinks hard on himself and Harry together. It takes two tries before his mind gives way to the shadowy world that is vibing. 

The first thing he senses is longing. And damn, if it isn't strange to be feeling emotions; something new to his vibing that he honestly doesn't want to have to get used to. Harry is looking at him while Cisco babbles about something, his face animated and hands painting a picture in the air. He says something back that Cisco can really only grasp the purpose of...something meant to make Cisco roll his eyes. Harry is filled with accomplishment when it works, and then that deep ache that you only get when you truly want someone. Harry walks off, signaling for Cisco to follow him. Cisco, without question or comment, trails after him, like it's the most natural thing in the world. Because for them, even in this other timeline, it is.

Cisco gasps as he's pulled out of the Vibe. He drops the hoodie and shakes out his hand, his fingers numb from how hard he was gripping it. Cisco's chances, which were already on thin ice, of keeping what they have to friendship are totally and completely wrecked. And as he just found out, so are Harry's.

_____

Cisco wanders back up to The Cortex in something of a daze. It always takes him a little while to shake himself of whatever he vibed, and it's all the harder now that there are impressions of emotions laced through each image he sees. 

“I take it from your smile that the conversation with Harry went well,” Caitlin says with a pleased lilt. 

“Yeah. I've decided to embrace the Wells curse.”

Caitlin narrows her eyes, walking over to Cisco who has propped himself up against the wall, still a little weak in the knees from Harry's feelings for him coursing through his veins. “And what exactly does that mean?”

“It means that I am going to woo Harry. And I'm going to need your help.”

“Are you sure that's a good idea?”

“Hey,” Cisco protests, giving Caitlin a light and playful shove. “I convinced him once to be with me. Can't be too hard a second time, right? Besides, I don't believe in no win scenarios.”

“Alright,” Caitlin sighs in acquiescence. “Tell me how I can help.”

Operation Win Over Harry was a go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just about did my head in during the editing process, so hopefully it came out okay.
> 
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Harry wakes to total darkness. For a moment it's jarring; like walking into a memory. Then he hears the soft sounds of Jesse breathing beside him as she sleeps, and knows it's real. This isn't the dream he had so many times back at home, where he would wake wishing his top of the line mattress would give way to the uncomfortable cot he's resting on now. Somewhere along the way, STAR labs had become his home instead of the place he had raised his daughter, and founded his empire. The only thing is, he knows he can't stay. No matter how much he wants to.

He's not naive enough to think the promise of friendship between him and Cisco will hold. He saw the disappointment in his eyes; the way Cisco had grudgingly agreed to a shadow of what he truly wanted. It should please him, he thinks; to be wanted. But what Cisco wants isn't him. It's some other version of himself. One that had left Cisco alone and maimed when Cisco needed him most. Cisco has already had to deal once with looking into the eyes of someone who harmed him, and being forced to see someone else. He won't do that to him again.

The truth of it is, he isn't a good man; not really. Not the way Cisco deserves. Harry has always taken what he wanted, and felt little remorse for whatever disaster was left in his wake. The particle accelerator destroyed lives all the while giving him his dream, and instead of owning that, he swept it under the rug. He refused to accept the responsibility for his actions. _That_ is the man Harry knows he is.

For once, he's going to do the selfless thing. He's going to push down how much he wants Cisco, and let him have something so much better than what he can give. He's going to go home and take care of his daughter while she develops into the hero she has always been to him. He's going to help his city recover from the disaster he foisted on it. He's going to do these things, because he has to. The decision made, Harry rolls over and closes his eyes. Just a few more days; something to hold onto, and then he'll leave this place behind.

____

“Looks like somebody forgot to get their beauty sleep last night,” Cisco remarks from his chair when Harry walks into The Cortex, S.T.A.R. labs mug in hand, and scowl on his face.

“Good morning to you too, Ramon. You're looking lovely today, Ramon. Has anyone ever told you, you're an insensitive jackass, Ramon?” Harry quips, willing away the smile that is threatening to break out on his face. He takes a large sip of his coffee, making sure to slurp, just to see Cisco's reaction. The laughter he receives makes the small splatter of coffee on his glasses worth it.

“If you two are done flirting with each other, we have a metahuman to deal with,” Caitlin breaks in, arms crossed, but an amused glint in her eye.

Harry pointedly ignores the comment, motioning for Joe to continue with whatever it was he had been saying. He doesn't miss though, the subtle thumbs up that Cisco gives Caitlin in response. His stomach drops at the sight of it. It seems he was correct about Cisco not giving in so easily.

The Cortex is full to the brim, the entire team huddled around discussing The Flash's newest foe. They pass around suggestions and information that could explain a man dying at the hands of an invisible force. Harry stays as far out of it as he can, only offering up a few stray comments, intent that this battle is one that will be fought without him.

As the group breaks up, each heading off to do their part in the investigation, Jesse turns on that bright smile of hers.“You guys wanna train?”

“We have to think about getting back to our Earth. We've been here long enough.”

He doesn't look at Cisco when he says it. He knows all too well what he'll see there. The fact that his daughter's unhappiness at the statement is easier to stomach does nothing but assure him he is doing the right thing. Like a bandaid, he thinks. Rip it off, and walk away.

“I still got a lot to learn. Your words, not mine. C'mon dad. We can stay a little longer.”

“Fine,” Harry begrudgingly agrees, the hope in her voice just a little too much for him to say no to.

Jesse bounds off toward the speed lab, Caitlin trailing after her. Harry expects Cisco to follow, but he lingers behind, arms crossed and mouth twisted in disappointment.

“What?” Harry shouts, when he gets tired of Cisco just standing there, judging him.

“Don't you want to help us? We have a metahuman on the loose killing people and all you can think about is leaving.”

Harry sighs, and runs his hands through his hair in frustration. “Of course I want to help. But a lesson I learned about this city long ago is that there is always something or someone to fight. It doesn't stop. Maybe if I focused a bit more on my own problems, Jesse would have been saved sooner. I wouldn't have to spend night after night listening to her suffer at the hands of Zoom all over again.”

Cisco shakes his head. “So, you think walking away is just going to, what? Make it easier on you? You're better than that, Harry.”

“I'm not.”

“You are. You're not as selfish as you pretend to be. Someday you're going to realize that, and I hope for you, and the people who love you,” Cisco pauses, taking in a shaky breath, “that it happens before it's too late.”

Left alone, Harry slams his hand against the unforgiving steel of the work station, relishing in the waves of stubborn resistance that course through him. If Cisco won't believe him, then he'll just have to make him believe.  


____

The next time he reiterates their need to leave, he does turn his gaze on Cisco. He'd expected more disappointment, or maybe even anger. What he gets is a small, flirtatious smile and a comment about it being more fun with Harry there, helping them fix stuff on their Earth. It would be so easy to give in under the praise. To fold like a house of cards, and agree that he belongs here with Cisco. Setting that aside as completely counterproductive to being the noble one for a change, he throws out one of the most asinine ideas he has ever had; looking for another Wells.

He grabs onto it like a life raft, leaps forward and begins planning. As he pieces together just how they will find his replacement (a thought that does _not_ bother him), Cisco orbits around him. He doesn't ask questions, merely watches as Harry works. He's not even trying to be subtle about it. He's not pretending to work on something to beat Mirror Master (aptly named by Harry) or The Top (named less aptly by Cisco). He's just there, watching. Even with his back turned, Harry can feel Cisco track his movements. It should be unsettling; irritating. Instead, a warmth spreads through Harry at the attention that has him wanting to take a hammer to the satellite, and find the nearest room with a locking door so he can show Cisco just what Harry's undivided attention looks like.

Then he reminds himself, again, that Cisco is likely already well aware of what that looks like. That fantasy shattered, he picks up his screwdriver and redoubles his efforts.

“So, I was thinking,” Cisco finally says, after about an hour of watching Harry. “What do you say to one last movie night?”

“You really think that's a good idea?”

“C'mon, Harry. We're friends, right? Friends watch movies. Tell you what, I'll even let you pick the movie.”

Harry doesn't answer right away, his screwdriver held between his teeth and his attention fully on getting twisted wire to twisted wire to hold together long enough to get the casing around it. With a practiced ease that can only come from so many hours working together Cisco reads exactly what Harry is trying to do. He picks up the casing from the table, and gently manipulates Harry's hands so that he can get around them.

“There,” Cisco says with a soft smile, as it clicks in place. Harry pulls his hands back, and rubs them on his jeans, giving Cisco a nod of thanks.

“You just don't give up, do you?” Harry finally says.

“Nope,” Cisco replies, far too cheerfully for Harry's taste.

Harry clears his throat, accepting defeat. He may be trying to be the good guy, but that doesn't mean he has to be a saint. “Yeah, okay.”

“You'll come?”

“If you make me say it again, I'll change my mind.”

“You finish that,” Cisco gestures to the satellite, lips thinned in distaste. “And I will see you at my place later.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry waves Cisco away.

It only occurs to him once Cisco leaves that he never mentioned inviting anybody else.

____

Harry goes to find Jesse. She's sitting cross-legged on the floor of their room, sorting through the simply unbelievable amount of clothing she'd been able to fit in the single bag she brought with her.

“Come over to Cisco's with me. Movie night. You like movies.”

“Oh, no. I am not getting in between that,” Jesse says incredulously, as if Harry is insane for even suggesting it.

“Getting in between what?”

Jesse stands, having found what she was looking for, shrugging on her leather jacket. “I don't know whether it's sad or adorable that you think everybody doesn't know.”

“Doesn't know what?” He spits out, hands on his hips. For once, he's not actually trying to be difficult. He has no idea if Wally or someone else filled his daughter in on just how much the timeline had been changed.

“You know how Barry's eyes always glaze over when he's looking at Iris? Find a mirror when Cisco's around.” She pats Harry on the shoulder. “Besides, while you have your movie night-” she starts, making air quotations as she says movie night-, “I have my own with Wally. Have a good night, dad.”

“Jesse!” Harry shouts out to the now empty room. He kicks the laundry, and resigns himself to the fact that everyone, even his own daughter, is working against him.

____

Harry has been to Cisco's apartment only a few times before, each time with Caitlin and Barry in tow, and once with Jesse, when Cisco insisted they _had_ to see a full concert by Senator Knowles. Each time, Harry had tried to stay on the periphery, watching as these impossibly young people enjoyed each other's company. Each time, they pulled him in, demanding his opinions and reactions; never treating him like he didn't belong.

He doesn't know what it says about him that he feels more at ease with people half his age than he does at the high brow, age appropriate parties he'd been strong armed to attend in the past, only to escape long before final drinks were served. He can't even begin to touch what it means that the only person who has ever made him feel even close to what he did with Tess would be more suited to his daughter than to himself.

Harry has never put too much stock in age, really. Many of the best minds he has at S.T.A.R. labs are barely out of college, open to new ways of seeing things that scientists who have been on his payroll for over a decade would sneer at. It doesn't quiet the small voice in the back of his mind telling him how dangerous he is for Cisco. Cisco, who has the entire multiverse at his fingertips, but answers with a delighted grin when Harry shows up at his door.

Harry can only bring himself to hesitate for a second, before he's allowing Cisco to guide him inside.

“I know I said I'd let you pick the movie, but I was talking to Jesse about the new bluray release of The Crow, and she said you guys didn't even have that movie on Earth-2. Ain't nobody allowed to enter my apartment having not seen the badass hotness of Brandon Lee.” Cisco rambles, making grabby hands for the bag in Harry's hand.

He lets out a pleased sound when he sees what's inside. “My candy!” Cisco places a hand on Harry's chest, holding him in place. “You know where Caitlin's been hiding my stash. Tell me your secrets, Harry.”

“Ramon, I've been here less than a week and I found it. You're going to have to put in a little work if you want your teeth to rot out of your face,” Harry deadpans, shrugging Cisco off, and heading for his usual chair.

“Fine, fine. She'll probably move it anyway when she sees you emptied it out. Gotta remember to put a tracking device in my next batch.”

Cisco's voice fades away as he heads into the kitchen. Harry listens to the sounds of him moving around; the refrigerator door opening and closing, popcorn popping in the microwave, all the while Cisco keeps up a litany of chatter. A sense of comfort he hasn't felt in months rolls over him in waves; too tempting not to sink into.

“Nuh-uh. You are not sitting all the way over there,” Cisco says when he comes back over, carrying two beers in one hand and a large bowl of popcorn in the other. He sits down on the couch, patting the place next to him.

Harry rolls his eyes, making sure to sigh and grumble as he moves his position, though he can't deny the pleasant thrill at feeling Cisco's arm brush against his as they both settle in and get comfortable.

Cisco dims the lights, and starts the film. They make it as far the Miramax logo before Cisco is chiming in. Harry allows himself a smile, knowing the darkness of the room will keep him safe.

“If you talk the entire movie, I'm not going to actually understand any of it, you know,” Harry says pointedly, elbowing Cisco lightly in the side.

“It's part of the Cisco experience! We can watch it again when I've run out of things to say.”

“Does that ever actually happen?”

“Stick around long enough and you can find out.”

The statement hangs heavy in the air between them, as the image on the screen sweeps over shadowy, fire burned buildings. Cisco is rendered silent by it, and Harry, for his part, can only sit there and let it linger.

The movie isn't one Harry would pick himself, but he finds himself engrossed in the melodic wordplay and dream-like movement from scene to scene. When Harry lets out a light chuckle at a particularly clever line, Cisco hums in agreement, nudging the popcorn that he had been keeping determinedly on his side of the couch since the awkwardness began closer to Harry. Harry accepts it for the olive branch that it is.

“I wouldn't expect this to be your kind of movie,” Harry offers.

“Why? It's got great action, a great story-”

“It's dark and violent and moody,” Harry cuts in.

“If you hadn't noticed, I like moody.” Despite the bravery in his words, Cisco eyes Harry carefully, his body drawn in on itself as if anticipating an attack.

Harry searches Cisco's face, and finds himself completely undone by the visible proof he sees there of how much weight his words carry when it comes to Cisco. Leaving is one thing, but lashing out at Cisco is something he will not allow himself to do.

“Almost as much as I like sweet,” he finally says, before reaching over and stealing a bag of skittles. The smile that stretches over Cisco's face makes the dangerous line he's skirting worth it.

____

It takes barely any time at all to send out the puzzle and get multiple responses. Harry would be embarrassed, if it hadn't been other versions of himself they were sending it to. Despite the similarities in their mental capacity, he dismisses each option. If only the last one had been as ridiculous as the rest, he wouldn't have found himself facing off with Caitlin and Cisco, having to justify said dismissal.

“If you think we're done talking about the other Wells, you are highly mistaken, my friend,” Cisco says once Caitlin leaves them to go check on Barry, currently trapped in a mirror of all things. The fact that this is a relatively normal day for Harry, says just how far down the Team Flash hole he has fallen.

“Shouldn't we be focusing on the problem at hand?”

“Pretty sure I can talk and build a life saving absolute zero device at the same time.”

“Pretty sure you need your brain, which you use to make words, to get this done in time. To save Barry. Remember, Barry?” Harry taps Cisco on his head with his screwdriver, before moving over to the whiteboard to add a few annotations.

“Somebody doesn't want to talk about their feelings,” Cisco responds in a sing-song voice.

“My feelings have nothing to do with this.”

“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much,” Cisco grins at him. “C'mon, Harry. Just say it. You don't like the thought of leaving me here with another Wells.”

“I don't like the thought of leaving any of you here with an inept, or possibly evil Wells; no. Is that what you want me to say?”

Cisco reaches for Harry's shoulder, forcing him to turn so that Harry's facing him. “I want you to say that you're jealous. Because I know you are.”

“I'm not jealous,” Harry protests weakly. He doesn't stop Cisco from crowding him in, his back pressing against the whiteboard. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think I'm doing?”

Harry looks down at Cisco, a challenge in his eyes. “Will you stop answering my questions with a question. It's highly obnoxious.”

“I'm doing what feels right. This – us – feels right. Say no, and I'll back off.”

“No,” Harry says softly. Cisco steps back immediately, all levity gone from his expression. “Jesse and I are leaving as soon as this is solved.”

“Yeah, okay. Sorry. You won't have to tell me again.”

Harry ignores the sinking feeling of disappointment at Cisco's acceptance, and continues working.  


____

They free Barry. Or that is to say, something that isn't their failed absolute zero device frees him. Harry can only stand by and watch with the others while Jesse and Barry face off against the two metahumans. As planned, Barry and Jesse separate to take on each individually. While the others are much more focused on Barry and his mirror trick, Harry can't look away from the blurred image of his daughter on the video screen facing off against an enemy who has had far longer to hone her skills.

Cisco sidles up to his side, pressing a hand against the small of his back. “Don't worry. Jesse can take care of herself. She's a Wells.”

“If you think saying she's a Wells will instill confidence-”

“Hey, none of that. There is no doubt allowed in my Cortex. Eyes on the screen. Watch your daughter kick ass and take names.”

Harry nods, breathes in deep, and does as he's told. He leans into Cisco's touch, allowing it to hold him steady until the moment they see that Jesse is safe and the battle is won.

____

It takes an hour before the adrenaline high of watching Jesse risk her life and come out on top wears off. While they all gather around Jesse to congratulate her for her first successful mission, Harry finds a quiet place to sit, and reach acceptance of the fact that from now on, this will be his life; for better or worse. Jesse, saving the day, while Harry guides her home safely. The pride he feels in the woman she has become doesn't exactly make it easier, but it gives him hope that with time, he'll be just as skilled as Joe at pushing down the fear, and doing what needs to be done.

His own mental crisis dealt with, he gets up and sets out to track down Jesse. He eventually finds her tucked into a corner of the speed lab, and to his surprise, talking quietly with Cisco. He can't hear them; but their body language spells out the nature of the conversation easily to him. Cisco, shaking his head, and Jesse with a reassuring arm around his shoulders. A not unfamiliar duet of guilt and shame wells up inside him at the sight of it.

He tries to leave without being seen, but just as he is backing out, Jesse looks up and holds his gaze. She says something to Cisco, and he looks up too. Harry nods to them both, a signal that they can keep talking, and heads to his room to pack his bags.

____

“Dad?” Jesse says, when Harry is all but done.

He zips his bag closed, and waits for the inevitable scolding that he knows is coming. Instead, Jesse comes up and hugs him from behind. Harry turns to meet it, holding his daughter close to his chest.

“You did well tonight, Jesse Quick.”

“Thanks. So did you,” Jesse says. She pulls back, and Harry can see there are tears in her eyes. “Which is why I need you to stay here.”

“No,” Harry shakes his head forcefully. “No-”

“Listen, dad. I need you to listen. I don't need you any more, okay? Not the way you want me to need you. You can't keep using me as an excuse not to live your life.”

“You are my life.”

She tilts her head at him, consideringly.“Don't you think that's a little....sad?”

Harry pauses to wet his dry lips, and take a heavy seat on his cot. “When your mother died, I made one promise to myself. And that was to take care of you. I failed at that, for a long time. You may be older, and capable, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying. I know you think having these abilities means you can do it all now, but, if you ask me, you're going to need me more than ever. Barry has Cisco, and Caitlin and Joe. You need someone to have your back too, if you're going to be the hero of our Central City.”

“I won't deny that having you there would make things easier, but like I said, I'm not going to be your excuse anymore. I'm not going to watch you be miserable and know you are playing martyr on my behalf. I won't do it. So, you find some way to sort this out with Cisco, or I won't let you help me, whether you follow me home or not.”

Once again, Harry finds himself left alone, yet another person storming out in the wake of yet another argument. He can feel his resolve crumbling, the stubbornness that has kept him on course in his aims fading. It isn't so clear anymore, that leaving is what he has to do. That doesn't mean he wants to face what staying behind signifies; for himself, for Cisco and for Jesse. Instead, he lets the promise he made to Tess echo through his mind; the last bastion against the realization that he just may be doing more harm than good by leaving.  


____

Harry doesn't have to wait long for Cisco to darken his doorway. Only minutes later, he's there; looking impossibly small, but still with a stubborn jut to his chin.

“You're really leaving.”

“I am.”

Cisco takes a few careful steps forward. “Before you go, there's something I want to show you.”

“Oh, what's that?” Harry says, but there is no bite to his words. He's too exhausted, too tired of playing this game to muster up anything that sounds like he wants to resist whatever it is Cisco has in mind.

Cisco joins him on the cot, facing Harry, one leg tucked beneath the other. “Do you remember how I was able to vibe Iris into the speed force to save Barry?” Harry can only nod, unable to find his voice. “I don't need help doing that any more. If you'll let me, I can show you.”

“Show me what?” Harry asks, even though he knows Cisco can only be referring to one thing.

“Us. The other us. What we had.”

“I don't know if that's a good idea, Cisco.”

“Just trust me, okay? Let me show you this,” Cisco pleads with him and before Harry knows what he's doing, he's nodding his agreement.

“Close your eyes,” Cisco whispers as he takes both of his hands in his tight grip.

And suddenly Harry is there. He'd tried to imagine many times, off of Cisco's descriptions, what it would be like. The dream-like, blue-tinged haze is so much more real, and yet not, than he pictured. It's like watching a movie, he thinks, but at the same time, living it; feeling it. He breathes in deep, and suddenly the vague impressions clarify themselves, situate into an image of himself and Cisco lounging on Cisco's couch. Cisco is pressed into him, his head resting against Harry's shoulder. His mouth is moving, but Harry can't quite make out what he says. The other him, the him in the vibe, laughs at whatever it is and presses a kiss into Cisco's hair. He can sense in that moment, what Cisco is feeling; the contentment and comfort at being held by Harry.

It lasts for all but a few seconds, and then they are back in Harry's room, the world once again bright and harsh in contrast. Cisco doesn't let go of his hands.

“Why did you want me to see that?” Harry asks, his voice sounding just as wrecked as he feels.

“So that you understand.”

“Understand what? That wasn't me. I know for you, it feels like it was. But it wasn't.”

“Maybe it wasn't, but it doesn't change the fact that what I felt then, in that moment, is the same thing I felt with you the other night.”

Harry sighs, looking away. “I don't know what you want from me, Cisco.”

Cisco scoots closer, hands leaving Harry's, each settling on one of his legs where knee meets thigh.“I want you to want this. Maybe that makes me pathetic, but it's true. I spent so much time wishing that you would come back and say you made a mistake ending things. Don't force me to watch you make that same mistake again.”

“Why are you the one who gets to decide that it was a mistake?”

“Just tell me you're not interested. Tell me that what we had was a fluke of the space-time continuum, and I'll shut up and never bother you about it again.”

Harry grits his teeth and closes his eyes, unable to bear the insistent stare of Cisco any longer.

“You can't say it, can you?” Cisco says, a note of triumph in his voice.

“You have no idea how much I wish I could.”

“That's flattering,” Cisco snorts, but the triumphant look fades to one of pain.

“I don't mean it like that! I've spent months wanting you, and trying so hard not to. And now I find out that I had exactly what I wanted, all that time I had it, and not only do I miss out on the chance to...to live it...but I find out I did the one thing I would kill anyone else for doing; I hurt you.”

“So, your answer is to hurt me again by not even giving this a chance? Because that makes total sense.”

“You are such a smug, insufferable ass, and I have no idea why I put up with you.” Harry growls. Cisco opens his mouth to reply, but Harry covers it with his hand. “Shut up. Just shut up for once in your life.”

Cisco pushes away his hand, and moves impossibly closer, his breath ghosting over Harry's lips when he speaks. “Make me.”

Harry does so, the only way that he knows how. It's not a spectacularly good first kiss, as first kisses go. His lips are dry and cracked from worrying at them, and Cisco takes just a beat too long to get with the program before Harry pulls away. Still, the way Cisco is licking his lips, and chasing his mouth, satiates something inside him; leaves him only wanting more of the thing he has told himself over and over again he can't want.

“That was nice,” Cisco says softly, looking up at Harry from beneath his eyelashes.

Harry lets out a frustrated sigh, distancing himself from Cisco as much as he can on a small, cramped cot. “It was stupid. Why are you even willing to try this with me? I broke your heart. I was just about to do it again. I'm an asshole, Cisco.”

“Yeah, you are. You're a complete dick. It doesn't change the fact that I'm in love with you.”

“Oh,” is all Harry can say in response, his brain working overtime to try and process this new, and utterly frightening piece of information. Cisco Ramon is in love with him.

“Yeah, oh,” Cisco remarks with a fond smile, as Harry continues to look at him with what can only be called a dumbfounded expression.

Despite himself, Harry reaches for Cisco, lacing their hands together. “I can't stay.”

“I know.”

“Then what was the point of all this?”

Cisco thinks for a moment before answering. “What you saw in that vibe, it was one of the few moments like that I could have shown you. What I had with you-”

“Him,” Harry interrupts sharply, swallowing down the queasy feeling that has become a trademark of any reminder of their predicament.

“Fine, him. What I had with him, it wasn't everything I wanted. I think, _he_ always knew he'd have to go back, so he kept his distance. And I was too scared to ask for more. I thought if I pushed, he'd leave for sure. But I didn't push, and he left anyway.”

“Jesse will always come first for me, Cisco. Always.”

“I know that. And she should come first. It was unfair of me to ever ask that he choose between us. Which is why I'm not going to ask you to do that. Instead,” Cisco takes a steadying breath, “I'm offering to come with you. If you want me, that is.”

Harry furrows his brow, his mind running through the logistics of Cisco abandoning his home for Harry's.“What about Barry and Caitlin?”

“Funny thing about my powers, Harry. I can make portals and come back any time I want. And it doesn't have to be forever. I just...I have to see for myself, if we can make this work.” Cisco's serious frown melts into a sly smile before he continues, “Besides, Jesse's gonna need a lot of help out there, and I happen to be pretty damn good at what I do.”

“Modest, too,” Harry snorts.

“Modesty is an overrated quality,” Cisco shrugs.

Harry studies Cisco; the way the tension in his shoulders has eased, the sparkle in his eyes that speaks of just how pleased with himself Cisco is for having found an answer to their problem. For the first time since Harry stepped back onto Earth-1 he believes that maybe, just maybe, they can make it through this.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Cisco says, eyes wide in pleasant surprise. “That's it? You're not going to tell me to stay? Not that I'm complaining.”

“I'm not going to say no to getting everything my way. Understand me, when I say that.”

Cisco waves his hand in the air dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. You're a selfish jerk. I know all this. Been through it before, remember?”

Harry rolls his eyes. “And we saw how that worked out.”

“This time is different.”

“How's that?”

“This time, I'm not going to let you push me away when you get scared. I'm on to you, Harrison Wells.”  
Cisco presses his forehead against Harry's, letting their breath mingle before their mouths connect. As second kisses go, Harry thinks, it's pretty damn great.  


____

They don't drop the idea of bringing over another Harrison Wells. Harry and Cisco argue over it for a good half hour, before Harry concedes that it might be a good idea for Caitlin and Barry to have a scientist at their disposal and not have to rely on drop ins from himself or Cisco. His gut is still warning him about the dangers of the unknown, but as plans go, it's not the absolute worst one he's come up with. He gives that honor to his notion that he would have ever been able to walk away from Cisco unscathed.

They break the news to Caitlin and Barry the next morning.

“You're leaving?!” Barry exclaims. He looks back and forth between Cisco and Harry, then at Caitlin who looks resigned, but happy for them both.

“Relax. I'll be back. I wouldn't rob you two of having Cisco Ramon in your life.”

“Do what you need to do, Cisco. We're going to miss you both so much,” Caitlin says with a wavering voice, enveloping Cisco, then Harry in a hug.

“Am I the only one who didn't know this was a thing?” Barry asks, with a shake of his head.

“That's what happens when you mess with the timeline, Barry,” Harry admonishes him, but he's far too happy to make it sound half as serious as he wants it to come across. He figures his anger toward Barry likely faded right around the time he woke up with Cisco curled up in his arms.

“Is this because you're mad at me? Because if it is, Cisco...”

“It is, and it isn't. Mostly, it's about Harry. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't need a break from all this.” Cisco places his hands on Barry's shoulders, looking him straight on. “Just a break. I promise.”

Barry nods in acceptance, and pulls Cisco into a hug, his face buried into his best friend's hair. “I'll be counting down the days.”

Harry narrows his eyes at his doppelganger (who insists on calling himself HR), who is standing just off to the side, dabbing his eyes on the edge of his too long sleeve. “This is just beautiful.”

“Are you sure we have the same DNA?” Harry asks, prompting Cisco to jab him in the side.

“Be nice to yourself Harry,” Cisco grins.

“Very funny,” Harry grumbles.

“Take care of them for me, okay HR?” Cisco requests, picking up his bags as his eyes scan the room one last time, taking it all in.

“You got it, Francesco. I am here to serve.”

“Okay, let's go before I throw up. Jesse!” Harry calls out, not daring to look over at where she is ensconced with Wally.

“Coming!” She answers. Harry cringes at the sounds of a few final goodbye kisses, but after his daughter walked in on him and Cisco just as he was working his way down Cisco's neck, he knows he doesn't have room to complain.

Cisco secures his vibing glove on his hand and holds it out. “All right then. It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.'”

Harry lets out a laugh, and shares a knowing smile with Cisco. “Hit it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, commenting and leaving kudos. The support has meant so much to me, as this is/was my first foray into The Flash fandom, and a return to writing fic for me after a nearly two year hiatus. 
> 
> I've started a sequel for this fic, which will focus on Cisco, Harry and Jessie's adventures on Earth-2 (with other Earth-2 characters playing pivotal roles as well). It will likely be a little while, as I want to have a good portion of the story done before I begin posting, but hopefully not too long!
> 
> If there is anyone who would be willing to act as my beta for that sequel, you can let me know in the comments or over on tumblr. I could really use someone who knows the show well, and can also edit for grammar mistakes. 
> 
> Feel free to come say hi to me on tumblr! [Placesbetween](http://www.placesbetween.tumblr.com)


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